The New Divide
by Zamrok
Summary: She just wants to go home. After being trapped for what seems like a millennium, Kyuubi just may get her wish. With one final turn of the clock, she summons help for her precious container. This is everyone's last chance for a true happy ending. NaruHina
1. Zamrok

**A/N: Hello once again. Zam here with my latest release, The New Divide. But you already knew that right? Anyway, here's the first chapter of my story. And I already have chapters planned and chapter summaries written down so the only thing that will keep me from this Fic is school. **

**For those of you who don't know, this is a reimagining of my failed fic Ninjas & Dragons, and thus, has some of the same characters from before. One of which is the character Zamrok. I want to get this out before the fic even starts, ZAMROK WAS CREATED AS A CHARACTER FIRST, AND MY SCREEN NAME HAS BEEN THAT SINCE. With that out of the way, Chapter one is Zam heavy, but for a reason. He will not be appearing in any chapters for a little while. **

**So without further ado, I don't own Naruto or any of its characters, nor any references made to other stories mentioned here. I own the name and character Zamrok, as well as the other OCs that appear in this chapter. I'll also cut down on long beginning Author Notes and save them for later. **

**UPDATE (1/26/10): Yeah I suck… I know I suck… but I came back and fixed things and will have a new update soon as well as an explanation. Please don't kill me**

_**The New Divide Volume One**_

_**Beginnings**_

**Prologue**

Naruto lay in his bed. The old retired Hokage was resting in his death bed waiting for eternal rest to take him over. His wife, Hinata, had already passed on only months before and now was his turn. "Hina-hime… I'll be with… you… soon…" he silently fell asleep and would die in a few hours. If it had not been for one thing.

The Kyuubi rattled her cage. "**DAMNIT! I WAS SO CLOSE THIS TIME! ALMOST OUT!!! GOD FUCKING DAMNIT!!!" **she roared as she slammed against the cold hard steel. **"I don't have much left to give… I have only one final chance… I… I just want to go home like anyone else…"**

The darkness began to set in on the great fox as he channeled his chakra on his own one final time. **"May the gods have mercy on me for toying with these children for so long…"** she lamented as she finished her spell. Time flowed backward and a thousand lifetimes passed him by in the form of red-orange crystals. But something was off. As the Kyuubi looked deeply, she saw a Golden crystal. In it he saw two figures.

One was a girl, no older than sixteen. She had shoulder length dishwash-blond hair and reflective turquoise eyes. She wore a red battle Kimono and held a staff in her arms, as well as a small pendent. She had tears in her eyes as she prayed. **"Princess Kako… How you've grown… How I long to be by your side…"** on the other side of the crystal, she saw him.

The silhouette of a young man blocked the light of a red moon. He stood in front of thousands, ready to fight, so the moon decided to paint itself with the blood that would soon be shed. The man looked up as two piercing electric blue eyes stared into the distance. They were filled with determination, sadness, and love. They were the eyes of heroes. How did Kyuubi know this? **"They're just like Naruto."**

Kyuubi smirked as she and her vessel neared their destination. **"I apologize Kako… but I must borrow him for a while…" **and with that, Kyuubi began their journey anew, in the place where it all began…

"NARUTO!!!"

"SASUKE!!!"

**Chapter 1: Zamrok**

_Edar, Country of Terramichia, Dark Age. 10/10/225_

_This is it the final Journal entry. I can't believe I'm about to die here. Seventeen and my life is about to end. Does running into an army by yourself to delay said army count as suicide? Hell I don't fucking know. Well, hopefully someone else can take up my mantle and fight the Shadowhand. Why can't things ever be easy? Trained under some of the greatest powers in the world for this? This sucks. I wanna go home to my island… then I can snuggle up to all my treasure and take Kako on it. Mmm… hell yeah…_

_Wait NO! Bad Zamrok! Stop thinking dirty thought about your soon to be ex-girlfriend. You're about to take her place and die for her, nimrod. Fucking focus! She's on a ship off of this floating fucking island and you're about to die! I really hate the universe right now. I think my now constant complaining is my own way of dealing with stress, so I think I'll rant a little for ya journal._

_I was trained till I was twelve to go out into the world to fight these monsters. And that was only the beginning. I've lost so many people in this war… and now I'm about to become one of the lost. Is this what they felt staring into death? Damn…_

_I thought it would be over once we beat Xelvix and rescued Kako. Man was I dead wrong. He was only the beginning. He had plans for just in case we were able to beat him. He got what he deserved getting kicked through that portal. Anyway, we drove his forces back to this island, but of course, stupid shit had to happen._

_Right after we beat that sorcerer bastard, some giant man-beast came down and blasted us all away. It was my only luck that I quickly found Kako, Graal, Solvilis, and Nilus so fast. We had standing orders from Princess Kako to keep attacking the enemy if we came across it, so I think we all might have ended up together on this island._

_I know they had to get away. I KNOW it was successful. And I know… even if all my friends stayed… we still wouldn't win. Even if the chance was small that we would win... I wouldn't let them come this time. This time… I wish I could run away._

_I know that man-beast is down there… mind walkers, shape-shifters, giants, demons and hellspawn. I must be going crazy… but that's what happens when you fall in love. I wish, even if I just saw her… that I could kiss her one last time… run my fingers through that beautiful dark blond hair. I hope she doesn't wake up till they reach shore… but that was a weak sleep potion. She'll probably wake in a few minutes…_

_Kako … I'm sorry._

_Well… time to go meet my death! Don't visit me too soon, got that. well… Good bye._

_Zamrok Ontarious_

_Dragon Shaman_

A seventeen years old boy finished writing in his small journal. He snaps his fingers and it disappears into flame. He combs his fingers through his thick, unruly blonde that fall just shy of the shoulders. He stands at 5' 8" and has a stocky build to him. All he wears is a pair of samurai pants cut to the knee and an open royal blue battle robe with a leather strap running across his chest, connected to a leather pad on his right shoulder. To his right is his great sword, Dragon fang, sticking out of the ground. He grabs the hilt with both hands and slings the massive thing onto his shoulders. He looks up at the moon, and then down the hill at the army he must delay. The Moon was red; foreshadowing the bloody night.

"Damn… that's a lot of Hellspawn that guy has. I really wish I was running away from the trouble for once." He says shaking his head. He sighs and looks up at the sky once more. "Kako… Forgive me."

He charges the demonic army of one hundred thousand.

_~on a zeppelin just off the coast~_

A young woman stirs from her sleep. She looks around to try to figure out where she is when a gruff voice says, "You're leaving the island."

She looks at the man in shock and turns to the edge of the ship. "No! That can't be! I'm supposed to be down there stopping them…" she cried. "The last thing I remember was… a ceremony with Zamrok… we drank and…" she stopped midsentence realizing something. "Graal… Solvilis" she asked nervously, "Where is Zamrok?"

The older men looked down and shook their heads, a single tear leaving Solvilis' eye. It didn't go unnoticed by her. Then Graal spoke. "Look in your hands."

She did. And what she found horrified her. It was Zamrok's pendent, a small sapphire gem with a golden "Z" in the middle. Two thirds of the gem shone brightly while a third was dark. And it was getting darker. She knew what it meant. They all did. Zamrok was dying. She quickly rose from her spot and dashed to the edge of the ship.

"ZAMROK!!!" she screamed, trying to crawl over the side railing. Nilus and Solvilis held her back. "No! Let me GO! He needs me! Please let go!!" as she shook, the pendent fell out of her hand. She quickly crawled over to it, looking it over. Now only an eighth was bright. Her eyes were wide in shock as it faded and only the Z remained bright. She turned to see a pillar of thousands of magics combined as it fell to the battlefield, as a final cry of battle was heard from the young warrior.

"ZAAAAMROOOOOOOK!!!!" she cried out as loud as she could. The Z faded and she collapsed crying.

A passenger asked the samurai what the pendent was. "His life force." Graal answered. "As it was bright, so was his life. As it grew dark, it meant he was dying. And now…" Graal couldn't finish. Not with everything he just saw. His best friend was just killed, and he had to watch not only that, but the princess he was charged with protecting, breaking down in front of him. A book suddenly filled an empty pocket. He grasped the small journal, and in a tongue native to him that no one else understood, Graal said one final thing. "Sayonara… Zamrok-Guu." What no one noticed was the glowing of Rozehana.

_~~on the battlefield, just before The End~~_

"Man… this really sucks…" Zamrok said, lying in a pool of his own blood, looking up at the giant death ball. He fought as hard as he could, but even for him, an army couldn't be beaten. Instead of skin, cuts and pulled muscle covered the dying man. With his impending doom, Zamrok made one final wish. "I really wish… that I could… come back someday… to see everyone… maybe go away for a while and meet new people… yeah, that'd be great…" The giant death ball began its decent.

He sighed a sad, heavy sigh. "Well… I can't just lay here and bleed to death while the death ball is coming for me…" Zamrok said weakly. He took hold of his sword's hilt as it lay imbedded into the ground, and pulled himself up. Zamrok looked to the east where he thought he heard his name being yelled, only to see the final zeppelins leaving the island. "That would be Kako…" he sighed as he turned his gaze above him again. "You know… there was one thing I wanted to do before I died…"

He built up as much power as he could in his mangled body. What was left of his skin turned into hardened scales, his eyes shifted into a molten yellow color, and two wings exploded out of his back. "RRRRRRAAAAAGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!!" he took off, flying toward the death ball. He decided that if he was going down, most of the army would go with him. He sliced through to the middle of the energy, sending a backlash of power, thinking it would take out most of his enemies.

But something went wrong. As he flew to through the ball, a new sight came to him. Two huge statues stood before him as he flew. At their feet were two boys no more than thirteen years old. On the left was a dark skinned boy with a black cross on his face. His hair was long, thick and grey. He wore a blue tunic and white shorts, both heavily torn from battle. On his back were two hand-like wings, spread out ready to take flight. The boy held pure lighting in his left hand, ready to strike when he called out to the other one. "NARUTO!!!"

Zamrok looked to the feet of the other statue's feet to see a short orange clad blond surrounded by an evil armor. However, the presence of the boy himself was that similar to his own. The boy's armor looked like the shape of a fox and reeked of demonic presences. In his right hand he held a ball of pure swirling energy. "SASUKE!!!" he called. At the same time, the boys launched themselves at each other, looking to kill.

"CHIDORI!!!"

"RASENGAN!!!"

As he neared the inevitable clash, Zamrok braced himself. Then he felt it. Searing pain from behind and in front began to tear him apart. The magical energy from before collapsed on him; blasting forward into his back and forcing him toward this new world. But he could feel something else: another energy pulling him away. It felt like every fiber of his physical being was pulled in every direction at the same time as his soul was ripped from him. The pain was immense and seemed to go on for hours. Finally, it ended. And for a while… there was nothing. Then he woke.

"_uuuhhgg…. Where am i…?" _He thought getting up. _"What the hell… should be dead…"_ he tried to say, but couldn't. _"The Hell!? What happened to my voice? What's going on!?! AH!"_ he mentally screamed as he looked down to see himself as almost invisible. To anything other than the utmost trained eye, he'd only seem like a shimmer, and even then it would be difficult. He looked around to get his bearings straight as he tried to calm down. _"Ok, Ok, recap… knocked out Kako, check. Let my friends escape, check. Fight an army by myself, stupid check. Try to destroy giant death ball with my last bit of energy… probably not."_ He sat down to think when he noticed something orange next to him.

The boy called Naruto lay beside him with a hole in his chest. As Zamrok looked at the boy, he could only imagine the battle he missed before that final clash. Scratches, burns, bruises, and other injuries littered his body. Then he saw a matching headband laid next to him. _"Heh, you put up on hell of a fight kid. Too bad you couldn't put a hole in the other guy's chest. You would've won… not my place to say anything about your battle though. You probably aren't alive to hear me anyway…" _ Then something slipped out of the orange boy's pocket. A leather wallet with a license in it. When Zamrok read it, he recognized the script as his friend Graal's native land. "_Is this world connected to mine? Well I'll find out soon." _

Zamrok's thoughts were cut short as a tall man looking to be in his late twenties appeared with a small pug. His silver hair looked like it normally stood straight up, but slumped forward in the rain. Rain that he couldn't even feel. This man too wore the same headband over his left eye. _"They must be allies? Or… were in the case of that Sasuke guy…" _ The man also wore a thick green vest over a long sleeve blue shirt with matching long pants. The look in his eye was one of sadness and worry.

"Am I too late…?" he asked himself. He moved to his side and knelt down. "Naruto… Why… Like this…"

The pug went over to the headband and sniffed. "Saskue's."

The man took the headband and placed it on Naruto's chest along with his wallet, then lifted him up. "If I wasn't in time… I'm sorry… Naruto. Was your fate… Inevitably death?" he turned to look in the opposite direction _"Sasuke"_

He walked to the edge of the cliff and looked down. "In such a place… Naruto and Sasuke battled…"

"Ironic isn't it?"

The man looked between the two statues and sighed. "Yes… it's said long ago that two men battled here. The scar from that battle formed this never ending river. On that day, Konoha was built. Naruto and Sasuke… your lives are remarkably like theirs."

At that moment, a small groan was heard and Zamrok looked up from his stupor. _"No way? There's no way someone could be alive after that." _As he stared intently, Naruto slowly opened his eyes _"HA HA!!! HE'S ALIVE!!! YES! He-he-he. Things are gonna get interesting when they pick up." _ The man turned around to go back home. As Zamrok was leaving, he felt several chills up his spine, but ignored them. Whatever trouble there was ahead, he would face head on. And he'd make sure these people were ready too. _"Never Again…"_

_~Time skip 8 hours~_

The world around him seemed amazing. Zamrok had finally entered the village of Konoha an hour ago. However he'd lost sight of Kakashi and Naruto the moment he began looking around. His arms folded and his head down, he continued to walk through unfamiliar territory. _"Damn, where did they go? I can't just wonder around here by myself… well I could…"_ he thought still wandering. His arms folded and his head down, he continued to walk through unfamiliar territory. That is, till he heard a voice.

"Hmm? Did somebody say something?" Came a strong feminine voice. Zamrok lifted his head to see he wandered into what looked like a flower shop to him. Behind the counter stood a girl. She stood at 4' 2". She had platinum blond hair with a small ponytail in the back and a small amount of covering her right eye. She wore a purple tube top and purple skirt with bandages around her arms and legs. But the thing that stood out to Zamrok was her eyes. They looked… familiar. That's when it hit him that she **heard **him.

"_Can you… understand me?"_ he asked cautiously.

The girl went on guard. "Wh-who's there!?" she asked, trying to sound threatening, and doing a bad job.

"_Well, even if I wasn't a ghost, you still couldn't scare me Boyo."_

"A… A Ghost?" She asked, losing confidence.

"_Kinda I don't know. Oh, and put your guard down, I'm not gonna hurt ya. I couldn't even I want to."_ He said sitting in a chair behind her.

Nervously and hesitantly, she dropped her guard. "How do I know I can trust you?"

"_Ya don't Boyo. but apparently you do now."_ He said calmly. _"So, ya think you could answer my questions?"_

"Only if you answer mine." She shot back.

"_There's some confidence. I like that" _at that Ino blushed at the voice, but tried to hide it._ "Anyway, I know I'm in Konoha, I followed that Kakashi guy and Naruto back, but…" _she interrupted at that.

"Naruto? Kakashi!? So the mission was a success? They brought back Sasuke-kun!?! Yes!" she squealed.

"_No." _he stated seriously. She stopped daydreaming as he spoke. _"The mission was a failure. I saw the last of the battle. Sasuke put a hole through Naruto and his companions almost killed his friends. I believe their names were Neji and Choji-"_

"CHOJI!?!" she couldn't believe it. Her teammate was dying and she didn't know. She was about to run out when the voice stopped her.

"_Wait. It seems that this person is important to you, but I answered your question, so please answer mine."_

"Well what do you want?" she asked impatiently, still getting ready to go.

"_Your name."_

"What?"

"_What is your name?"_

"Ino Yamanaka." After answering, she quickly left putting the closed sign on the door.

"_Ino Yamanaka, huh? Why do I suddenly feel like she's gonna be… Troublesome?" _Zamrok didn't know where she was going, but if injured people were there, Naruto would most likely be there too, so he followed her. After five minutes of following the frantic girl, they reached a large building with a sign out front that read "Hospital." _"Hospital? What's that? Where are the shrines and healers?" _he thought. He went inside nonetheless and looked around. He saw Ino run down a large hallway so he followed her again.

Soon a boy a bit shorter that he came into view. His hair was tied up and resembled a pineapple. Ino immediately yelled for him. "Shikamaru!" she ran with tears in her eye and grabbed him. "How is he? How's Choji?"

The boy known as Shikamaru looked down at her a patted her back reassuringly. "He- He ate those pills Ino… we don't know if… Kuso…."

"No…." She looked up and cried into his chest. Zamrok decided to go take a look inside the room. What he saw he couldn't believe. He'd seen this before. "_Signs of rapid healing and muscle reconstruction to become more powerful on a whim…" _Such power was used by this young boy? He then saw a young blond woman come in and begin taking care of everything. There was nothing he could do, so he left, hoping for the best. Outside, Shikamaru had calmed Ino down and sent her home. He was now having a conversation with someone who appeared to be his father while a blond with four ponytails sat across from him.

"…not a girl." Shikamaru finished a sentence.

"Yes… But you're also not a man." His father countered. "You're just a regular coward. Even if you quit your life as a shinobi, your friends will not. They will continue to go on missions, and they'll have a new leader. So then, maybe your companions will die. But if you're their leader that time… your companions may not reach that end. If you look at this as experience, and you learn from it… Maybe you can carry out missions with less problems." He waited a moment before continuing.

"If your friends are really important to you, before you run away… Consider that you may become greater for the sake of your friends!" he scowled at his son before finishing. "That's what it means to be a real companion! You Coward!" No one said anything for a while until the blond woman came out of the other room.

"It's alright now!" she smiled as she sat down. "The cell deconstruction was stopped by the antidote I put together. This time… he was saved." Suddenly, and black haired woman dripping with sweat rounded the corner.

"Tsunade-sama! Neji Hyuuga… His condition has stabilized! Also, I have information that Kakashi Hatake and Naruto Uzumaki are back as well!" She panted for breath and sat down as well.

"Two of them huh?" Tsunade mused to herself. She turned to young boy and spoke. "Shikamaru Nara, it seems your mission was a failure." She turned and smiled. "But… Everyone is alive. That's the most important thing."

Shikamaru sobbed and wiped the tears from his eyes. "Next time…. Defiantly… I'll perform the mission flawlessly!"

Zamrok looked at the scene that played out in front of him. He figured it was time to go see Naruto.

_~Meanwhile~_

Ino was walking back slightly happy. She found out just before she left that Choji would be ok, but wouldn't wake up for a while. As she walked, she ran into her Pink haired rival and friend, Sakura. "Hey Sakura." She spoke up. Sakura looked up to see her and smiled sadly.

"Hey Ino."

"Sakura, everyone's back already. Why don't you go see Naruto?" she suggested.

Sakura smiled. "Thank you Ino. I will, then I'll go see Sasuke-kun!" She ran off toward the hospital without hesitation.

"Sakura…" Ino didn't have the heart to tell her that Sasuke was gone. She decided that she'd had enough of today and went home.

_~Back at the hospital~_

Zamrok was lost **(A/N: both the character and the author at this point)**. For the past twenty five minutes he'd been looking around the foreign building for Naruto. _"Damn it, where is that guy? You'd think with that Neon KILL ME Suit that Boyo's wearing, he'd be easy to find." _He looked up from his train of thought to see he was back in the main lobby. _"GAH! I've been in labyrinths made for the specific PURPOSE to get me lost and I can't even get away from this ONE FUCKING ROOM!!!"_ That's when he saw Sakura asking for Naruto's room number. _"Well at least I got someone to tail now."_ And tail her he did. After a few minutes she stood outside his door where they overheard a conversation between him and Shikamaru.

"And Sasuke…?"

"Yeah…" Naruto started sadly. "He got away…" the rosette froze in place at that. Zamrok saw the reaction and exploded.

"_What the fuck is wrong with you, Boyo!? You… Stupid Bitch! I don't even know you and I can tell you're a love struck idiot!" _he mentally screamed. But only one person could hear it. Naruto looked up quickly, trying to find the unidentified voice.

"Ne…. Shikamaru…. Do you hear someone yelling?" the lazy genius looked at him funny and shook his head. Naruto gave him a funny look and looked around a bit. However, his reaction stunned the otherworldly man. _'So he can hear me too… wonder if he'd be able ta see me too.' _ He decided it'd be best to set it aside for another time, committed the room number to memory, and left just as the blond beauty Tsunade rounded the corner.

He decided to roam the village now that he wasn't worried. But this place was so surreal to him. Many of the buildings were as tall if not taller than the tallest castle of his world. The technology was amazing with bright lights loud music and picture screens. It seemed that he most likely stumbled into some sort of business district of the village. There, he heard a few things he didn't like at all.

"So did you hear? That demon failed to bring back the Uchiha."

"Bah! More like let him leave. Probably knew he was outclassed by an elite and didn't even try."

"I heard they almost killed each other."

"What!? He tried to kill our Uchiha? That rotten BASTARD! We never should have let him live."

"Right. Maybe we could go and kill him while he's vulnerable. I'm sure the hospital staff wouldn't mind if we made our usual "Demon Cleansing" visit. Heh-heh-heh."

To say Zamrok was angry would be an understatement. The fact he drew his ghostly weapon and tried to hack the men to pieces was proof enough that he was furious. Once the group turned the opposite direction of the hospital, he decided to go vent for a bit.

Finding a clearing, he decided that even if he was a ghost, his weapon should be useable. Grasping the hilt from his back, he drew the long blade. The swords entirety was five feet tall, one foot for the handle and pommel and the other four feet of blade with a width of one foot as well.

The blade itself was fused of different dragon fangs, each willingly given by his masters, and a few taken from his foes, thus it's name. The hilt was the shape of a dragon taking flight, the handle being the tail and the wings the guard. The dragon head of the design held the blade in place while letting a fiery design scorch the lower half.

He began fighting his imaginary opponents, raising his power every so often, making him feel anchored to this plane of existence. But unknown to him, a small shadow was watching him.

Hinata Hyuuga had just gotten out of practice with her father, who once again beat her and chastised her. He continued to call her weak, lessening the lessons he gave her by days now, focusing his time on his youngest daughter Hanabi. She left the clan manor in tears as she went to her secret training area.

"W-why can't father s-see I'm real-ly tr-trying to improve?" she sobbed. Ever since the Chunin exams a few months ago, Hinata had been doing three times her usual training. She trained with her team, independently with her team, her father, and pushing herself to exhaustion till late nights, sometimes not getting back till early mornings and getting little to no sleep in the process.

She was just getting to her training spot when she saw what appeared to be a chakra silhouette swinging a weapon around. But something didn't make sense to her. She was seeing this **without** her Byakugan active. She stared at the signature for a moment before activating her bloodline.

"Byakugan!" her eyes flared with extra blood as the veins in her temple pulsed. There she saw the stocky man wielding a weapon almost as big as him, without much effort. _"Is he an enemy? I don't feel or see a physical presence."_ She thought. She then thought it may be a genjutsu and tried to dispel it, but nothing happened. While she continued to stare, the man caught a quick glimpse at her.

"_Can she see me?" _he wondered. He finished his vent and stopped, sheathing the Great Sword into the back hilt and turned to her. "_Yo, can you see me?"_ he called. She came out of hiding, nodding meekly. He decided to ask his next question just because of his run in with Ino. _"Okay… Can ya hear me?"_ she looked confusedshe shook her head and he sighed. _"I'm guessing you can read my lips then?" _once again she nodded, but the one sided conversation was starting to get on Zamrok's nerve. _"Oy. Speak up so I can hear ya Boyo. Sorry if you can't hear me, but I'd like to be able to hear who I'm talking to. And I can't read lips using this language."_

"G-Gomen… I-I was j-just…" She was trying to think of anything to say but couldn't come up with anything. "Wh-what are y-you?" she finally decided.

"_Human… Kinda."_ He answered her. _"As you can see, I'm kinda ghosty and whatnot. I just needed to take my anger out."_ He spoke.

"W-why are you h-here in Konoha?"

"_Well, I was following Naruto and-"_ Once again he was interrupted.

"N-N-Naruto-kun is b-back?" she asked worried.

"_Damn it, are people gonna just keep ignoring me? Jeez…"_

"G-gomenasai… I'm j-just worried about N-Naruto-kun. I h-heard he went on a d-dangerous mission."

The spirit looked away from her. _"Yeah it was. The Boyo was probably dead for a few minutes."_

Hinata almost burst into tears at hearing/lip-reading this. "P-please tell me wh-where he is!"

"_That hospital place everyone is at. I guess everyone was badly hurt… Hey wait!"_ he called as she ran, but to no avail, as she kept running. _"God damnit! Why do I keep getting ignored…?"_ he kicked at a stone. _"Oh well, time to go see 'im."_ And with that, he chased after Hinata.

Hinata could only wonder what landed Naruto in the hospital. Sure he'd had to go there for a few injuries, but to her… _extensive… _Knowledge, he'd never been seriously injured. She'd seen his amazing healing rate and he would normally be there for a few hours at max before getting discharged. Only one time had sent him there for longer than a day, and that was his battle with Garra.

"_Naruto-kun… please be alright…"_ she thought entering the building. She asked the woman where his room number is and she chuckled.

"My, that boy is getting popular now… you're the fifth person to see him today." Hinata smiled weakly knowing that she wasn't the first to see him. The nurse saw this and tried to cheer her up. "Don't worry Sugar, having you here means he'll have more visitors than he's ever had."

Hinata didn't know what to think. True she'd make him happier with her visit, but to know he'd never had more than five people visit him was just unimaginable. "Th-thank you…" she said quickly and ran off to his room.

Rounding the corner she heard talking from his room, at least the end of a conversation. Standing at the doorway was the shimmer that was Zamrok.

He spoke without words. _"I'm really starting the like this Boyo." _He looked over to Hinata. _"You like him huh?" _she nodded meekly._ "Well then when the old guy leaves, you better go visit." _With that, he turned his attention back to the two in the room. _"I'll wait till you're done to get my turn… so don't worry. This is just the start of something big."_

Hinata nodded and began listening in on the conversation between Naruto and Jiriya.

"Do friends Injure their companions!?!" the Toad Hermit roared. "Just look at your current condition!" He paused to think as Naruto tried to come up with an excuse. Then he spoke again, his tone serious. "If you want to keep chasing Sasuke, you can forget my training. You're no normal kid, since you carry the Kyuubi…." And all was lost to the two eavesdroppers from that point on.

~Hinata's mental process~

"_Ky-Kyuubi? The Kyuubi no Kitsune who destroyed the village 13 years ago? That Kyuubi? Is that how Naruto-kun's able to do all these different things no normal person can?" _She dwelled a bit longer at the thought of the demon fox before it finally clicked. _"The Villagers! That's why they look at him with disgust! The shinobi too! DAMN IT HINATA, HOW COULD YOU NOT SEE IT SOONER!!! I… I have to… help him somehow…"_

~Zamrok's Mindset~

"_Kyuubi… where have I heard that… oh, that's right! Kyuubi is supposed to be the partner of the Kokanami Clan… so that's why her summons never worked… I wonder what AAAHHH!!!"_ He gripped his head in pain as he watched lifetimes pass, all of the Kyuubi. But something was odd. It kept repeating to certain points, then branching off into another story. And every time had the same beginning, the Forth sealing Kyuubi into Naruto's stomach. Each was different, in a never ending repeating cycle with small differences at first, then bigger, and some humongous changes. But most ended the same way, Naruto dead, either of old age or battle, and the Kyuubi using its power to override its death and turn back the clock. And as suddenly as it happened, it stopped when Naruto yelled his constant declaration.

"If that's what it means to be wise… I'd be happier living as a FOOL!" He shouted.

"_Naruto-kun…"_

"_This kid…"_

"_This Boyo's interesting… Naruto… but you've been trapped for quite a while…"_

"Huh…" Jiriya started, "Only a fool would leave **you** alone to make jutsu. Get ready kid…" He jumps out of the window, landing on the giant toad in the street, "because once you're out of the here, we start your training."

"ROGER!" Naruto replied with enthusiasm. With that, the old Toad Hermit disappeared and Naruto rolled over to sleep.

The young spirit stood outside contemplating the outburst. He'd decided to wait till Hinata was done before he went to see him, but looking to his side, the young girl had disappeared. _"Not an unusual response…"_ once again he spoke out loud, and once again Naruto hear him.

"HEY! Who's there?" he asked.

"_Well, guess I might as well reveal myself to the hero of this world."_ He said walking into the room._ "Can you see me Boyo?"_

Naruto was confused, as he could see the full physical form of the phantom. "What the hell are you talking about? Of course I can see you!" He pointed out at him. "So are you gonna start explaining, or am I gonna have to beat you to a pulp first?"

Zamrok sighed. _"Well considering you're the only person that can see AND hear me I have to say you'd have the best results… of missing while I laugh my ass off!" _he chuckled seeing Naruto struggle to get out of bed and was over him quickly, thinking._ "However, I wouldn't want to worry that girl… she's quite fond of you Boyo…"_

The blond Jinchuuriki stopped. Someone was fond of him? A girl was fond of him? "Hey, hey. Who was it huh? Sakura-chan right! I know it's her, since she came to see me earlier. Hee-hee…" he said happily.

"_The pink headed bimbo? Nope." _He stated_. "Actually, she stopped out here before coming in when she heard you couldn't bring that Sasuke dude back" _Naruto looked at him angrily, waiting to attack. Zamrok shrugged._ "Just sayin'… Not her. And before you ask, I ain't tellin' you gotta figure it out yersefl Boooyo."_

Naruto looked at the stocky man in front of him and grumbled as he huffed back into bed. Something about blond jerks and secrets. He turned his head to look at him. "So… who are you?"

"_Wow…actual conversation. I didn't think I'd get much of that today." _He said sarcastically_. "Out of the three people I can talk to so far, this has lasted longer than the one who could hear me, and you can actually hear me unlike the other girl, who I might add was watching you here with me. Guess she took off when she heard."_

Naruto started to worry. "H-Heard? Heard what?" he asked cautiously.

"_That you possess the Nine-Tailed Fox." _He smiled as he said this. He wanted to see the reaction of the boy the villagers hated. It was what he expected. Anger at Jiriya saying those things out loud. Sadness for losing one of his friends, though he didn't know who yet. Fear that whoever it was would tell those she knew. He began to think it over in his head.

"_Okay, so there are only a few girls that are even remotely close to me… let's see… Sakura-chan? No. she'd left earlier and wouldn't be back till tomorrow. Ino? No. I heard she was here before Sakura-chan to see Choji and Shikamaru. Tenten? Nope. She's a year older then me and even I can see she has eyes for Neji. So that leaves… Hinata? Wouldn't she have been here for Kiba? Maybe she was just passing my room… Yeah that has to be it. But she wouldn't tell anyone… would she…? Maybe confide in Kurenai-sensei. That won't make too big a difference… Damnit…"_ he lowered his head in defeat.

As Naruto thought, Zamrok waited. After a few minutes, he began to get impatient. Finally seeing Naruto drop his head, Zamrok got pissed. _"You're a true idiot you know that Boyo?"_ Naruto looked up, defeated and confused. _"If she doesn't like you after hearing that, she's not worthy of being called friend. Be proud of what you are, don't hide it! I'd show you what I mean, but I can't right now..." _ He shook his head at the boy before continuing. _"So you have a demon locked inside you? Get over it. You're probably not the only one in this or any otherworld that has one, so why cry about it?" He walked over to the window and looked out to see the young heiress thinking in the gardens. "Besides… she'll except you… just like every other time." He thought smiling._

Naruto was furious. "WHAT DO YOU KNOW!? You have friends right?" Zamrok nodded. "How would you feel if you told them you had a monster inside you? If they left you? I can't do that…" he looked down whispering the last part.

The phantom turned his gaze to the young boy that was on the verge of tears. _"I have. Not exactly told them I have a monster __**in**__ me, but that I was one." _The spiky haired genin looked up to see the solemn look on his face._ "Many turned away… villages and kingdoms shunned me… at first…" _he smiled and closed his eyes remembering. _"The ones who stayed with me in the beginning… I will never forget them… no matter if they stand… or fall. They are my true friends."_

Naruto watched him for a few minutes. He wanted to believe that those people he knew were his friends, but years of fear without a single friend along with the looks he saw in the villagers eyes. He didn't know if he could take it from those close to him. "My… my friends couldn't understand… they'd fear me…"

"_The longer you wait… the harder it'll be. Think about it Boyo… Well, see ya later." _He said, tired of the conversation. As he looked out the window, he disappeared, fading from existence for a while.

"Hey wait!" Naruto called out, but it was too late. "I didn't even get your name…" he turned to lay down and fall asleep. As he fell into peaceful slumber.

**A/N: And so, there you have it. Chapter 1 of The New Divide. Hopefully I can work out some kind of schedule to do this story and may update every other Friday. Anyway, hope you liked it, please leave me a review, and have a goodnight.**

**Zamrok**


	2. First Meeting and the Truth

**The New Divide Volume 1: Beginnings**

**Chapter Two: First Meeting and the Truth**

Hinata stood out in the gardens of the hospital, her mind racing at what she'd just heard of Naruto. He was the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi no Kitsune. With that one revelation, most of her questions had been answered. He was hated in the village and it was because of the Kyuubi. He was beaten because of the Kyuubi. His control was horrible because of the Kyuubi. Everything bad was because of the Kyuubi. She remembered the day she began to fall for him. It was also the day she began to question everything she knew about the people of the village and her family…

** furasshubakku**_ no jutsu~_

_Young six year old Hinata was running through the village crying. A week ago she was as happy as she could be, her mother gave birth to her baby sister Hanabi and they all took a picture to remember the occasion. Hinata never smiled so brightly before. However, things took a turn for the worst for the young heir. Two days after Hanabi was born, her mother, Hanabira, began to feel sick. Nothing much, a fever, coughing, sneezing. A day later, her fever skyrocketed. The day after that, she began to have violent spasms. And after that, she started coughing up blood._

_Yesterday, she died. This morning, the Hyuuga clan buried her in the family cemetery. Hinata tried to find comfort, but couldn't. Her father wouldn't look at her, her cousin said it was fate her mother died and the elders left as quickly as her father. And so, she ran, clutching the only copy of the picture of her full family._

_Now she sat in the park, crying her poor lavender eyes out. Her heart felt like it was smashed into the tiniest pieces imaginable. "Wh-why… why did you leave me Mama…?" she sniffled. "We… we were going to be a… a happy f-f-family…Mommy…"she looked down at her smiling self in the picture and bawled even more. Then, they came._

"_HAH! Look at the poor little Hyuuga princess," Said one of three older boys. All three wore Uchiha symbols on their shirts, symbolizing their clan. The gossiping village that Konoha was, it didn't take long for news of Hanabira's death to reach the Uchiha. And with the rivalry between the two clans, why wouldn't they stab at an open wound?_

"_What happened little Hyuuga? Did your Mommy die?" the second one laughed. Hinata looked down again and let loose another cry._

"_Why?" She bawled. "Wh-why wo-would y-ou say th-that?" she clutched the picture tightly._

"_Why not?" The first one said venomously. "You Hyuuga would do the same to us, so don't act all high and mighty. Oh wait, that's all you know how to do!"_

_The third one looked closely at Hinata's hands, spotting the picture. "HEY! What's that?" he demanded, grabbing the photo away from her._

"_NOO!" she screamed, trying with her all to take it back. The three bullies pushed her down and looked at the picture._

"_Aww… look at the baby and the Bitch!" one said._

"_Why would a Hyuuga need something like this?" another asked, but before she could say anything, she was pinned to the ground. "Oh wait, YOU DON'T!"_

"_NOOO!!! P-PLEASE DON'T D-DO ANYTH-THING TO IT! PLEASE GIVE IT BACK!" she screamed with tear running down her face._

_The one with the picture thought for a second. "You know, I think we may have been a little too hard on her. I think I will…" he started handing her the picture and she brightened instantly. Then, he gave her a wicked grin. "NOT!" he screamed in her face before ripping the photo as slowly as he possibly could._

"_AHHHH!!! NONONO!!!" she screamed horrified at the older boys actions. She began flailing underneath the one pinning her in an attempt to stop the boy from destroying her picture. But soon, it was shredded. The boy let her go and she quickly ran to gather the pieces, all while whispering to herself, "nonononono… please don't leave me mama… please…" _

"_Heh heh. Maybe you should join her, Weakling." One of the Uchiha said standing over her, ready to punch down on her head. At that moment, a small orange blur tackled him to the ground and jumped in front of Hinata, his arms stretched out._

"_LEAVE ALONE!"_

_-Five Minutes ago-_

_Young Naruto was walking around the village toward the park. He'd just gotten his daily ramen and was going to see if there were any kids around to play with. Every time he went his hopes were shot down by angry mothers and fathers, telling their children to stay away and going so far as to attack him. He didn't understand why they did it, but every time he asked the old man, he got the same response:_

"_You're too young to understand yet Naruto-kun. I promise I'll tell you when you're older and ready, for now please let me protect you."_

_Unfortunately his "protection" was always late and thus, Naruto was hurt a lot. "Why hurt Naruto… Naruto not hurt people…" he thought sadly. As he came to the park, he saw three boys laughing and decided to try and join them. That is until he saw the shivering girl underneath one. When he heard them, he started to feel enraged. When they ripped the picture, he started running toward them. And when the eldest boy raised his fist, he tackled him before springing back to protect her._

"_LEAVE ALONE!" he screamed at them. The reaction was instant. The three boys were crossed between beating this brat into an unrecognizable lump and pissing their pants for who it was (they were just old enough to remember Kyuubi). Hinata was looking up in awe at her savior, tears still in her eyes and she clutched the ripped photo pieces to her chest. Naruto was standing there, half hoping for a fight, half hoping they'd do what others did and run._

_He got the latter as the boys ran away from the demon container and Hyuuga princess. When he was sure they were gone, he relaxed and put his arms down, turning to smile at the small girl he saved._

"_OK?" he asked her. He knelt down to her to see if she was alright. She was still crying, looked up slightly._

"_Th-thank you…" she whispered. The weird boy smiled and thumped his fist against his chest, smiling._

"_No problem. They come back, find me. I help you." He said confidently. He then extended his hand to her. "Naruto."_

_Hinata looked at his hand and shook it lightly, never letting the pieces of her picture go. "Hi-Hinata…"_

"_Hinata…" he stopped to think then looked at her. "Pretty name." he said, causing her to blush at the comment. Then he looked at her hand. "Precious?" she looked at him confused. "Meanies ruin Precious thing? What Precious thing?"_

_Hinata looked at her hands and began to weep lightly. "Th-they tore my picture. Mama…" she sniffled. "Mama… gone…"_

_Naruto looked at her confused. " Gone? Gone where?" he asked._

"_Mama died… This… this was our only full family picture and… they…. They ruined it…. Oh Mommy…" she cried lightly into her hands while Naruto watched her. Then, he did something he didn't fully understand himself. He hugged her._

"_It okay Hina-chan. Cry. Naruto here. It okay to cry with Naruto." He said, loving the embrace. Hinata became teary eyed again and latched onto Naruto before crying her eyes out. After a while, Naruto cried too. After several minutes, Hinata pulled away lightly._

"_Th-thank you… Naruto-kun…" she said breathily._

"_It Okay." He replied. He thought a moment before looking to her again. "See?" Hinata looked up in confusion again. "See Precious?" she gasped lightly and held it away from him for a moment, before allowing him to see a bit. Naruto took a long look at the picture before declaring, "FIX!"_

_Hinata, slightly startled looked at him. "Wh-what do you mean 'Fix,' Naruto-kun?" at that, he grinned a foxes grin._

"_Naruto fix so Hina-chan have family!"_

_~KAI!~_

Hinata had walked to the Hyuuga compound all while thinking this. It was her fondest memory of Naruto. That one promise started her interest in him. She walked by the guards and to her room. Once there, she looked toward her dresser and the pictures on it. There were many pictures, mostly of usual things: her father, sister, her with those two, her with her team… but two pictures stood out to Hinata always. One was an old ruined picture that had much tape on it, but still looked somewhat like the original. It was her only family picture.

The other…

_~Mou-_** furasshubakku**_ no jutsu~ _

_It had been a week. Little Hinata had reluctantly agreed to lend the boy her picture so he could fix it. He'd told her to go back to the park everyday so he could show her how far it was fixed. However, this was the first day she could leave._

_After disappearing directly after her mother's funeral, she had worried her father, Hiashi. So he punished her. By training her. Hard. Every day, she'd wake at five in the morning, only to be beaten down by her ever hardening father, and cold cousin Neji. After a week of her punishment, Hiashi, in his final act of kindness for years to come, allowed her the day off to do what she wished._

_So here she was, waiting for the young blond, who she assumed forgot about her and burned the picture, but still had that ray of hope. After a half hour, he came into view._

_Naruto looked on in excitement. His first friend was there, waiting for him this time. "Hina-chan!" he yelled happily, picking up the pace. He was waving a crudely taped paper and her heart flew. When he got to her he smiled a genuine smile, handing her the photo. "See Hina-chan. Naruto fix picture. Now… Hinata have family… all of family." He gave it back with a small but sad smile. She took it but couldn't understand why he was sad. Was he sad because of losing the photo like her? Or was there another reason?_

"_Naruto-kun, wh-why are you sad?" she asked._

_Naruto looked down to her, trying to hold back some tears. "Naruto no have family. Family gone… don't know where… Naruto… Alone…" he started to cry when he said it. But his blue eyes wouldn't let him. To cry would show weakness. And to show weakness is what everyone wanted. Then, he felt something he never thought anyone else would do for him. Hinata hugged him. And cried for him._

"_N-Naruto-kun… no one sh-should have to be all alone." She whispered into his ear. "I-if you want… I can be there f-for you… I'm not all that great but—EEP!!" she squeaked as Naruto hugged her tightly._

"_Thank you! Thankyouthankyouthankyou Hina-chan!" he swung her around as he cried happily, till finally, the two children fell to the ground, panting to catch their breath. When they looked at each other again, Naruto burst out laughing and Hinata began giggling uncontrollably. Hinata couldn't believe it. A week ago, she thought her world had come to an end with the death of her mother, but here she was laughing and giggling with her new friend._

"_Naruto-kun, we should t-take a picture." She suggested._

"_Yeah, that'd be cool." And with that, the two children went to get their picture taken. While in the village, Hinata noticed the glares sent to her new friend. Many were filled with hatred, others were mixed with fear. One man whispered to another and took off. However, Naruto didn't seem to mind, so she too shrugged it off as nothing. The two of them went and got their picture taken with a fast print camera and each took a copy. Then they headed back toward the park._

"_Hey Hina-chan. Wanna play Tag?" Naruto asked cheerfully._

_Hinata looked down a little sad. "I'm sorry Naruto. I don't know how."_

_Naruto smiled and explained to her. "It Okay Hina-chan, Tag easy. I be 'IT' and you run from me. I touch you, you 'IT'. Okay?"_

_Hinata perked up at the explanation. "It sounds like fun. Ok, you're IT Naruto-kun!" She giggled and ran off. Naruto waited a few moments since he couldn't count and then started chasing her. Every time he caught up to the young heiress, she'd dance away from him. She never laughed so much in her life._

_However, like everything in their lives, it ended far too soon._

_Naruto finally caught up to her but knew the only way to catch her, was to pounce. So he did. He pounced upon her, giving no room to escape, and the two children once again toppled over each other. "Got you!" he announced proudly. Hinata was going to congratulate him when she heard the last thing she wanted to hear. Her father._

"_GET OFF OF MY DAUGHTER YOU MONSTER!!!" he screamed, Byakugan blazing. He didn't give the boy a chance and pushed him off with an Empty Palm, sending him sailing._

"_Naruto-kun! F-father, why-"_

"_Hinata! Stay away for that monster!" Hiashi spat. Some villagers came and began to beat the boy for "Hurting" the heiress. Hiashi walked to the boy, but stopped noticing a picture that fell from his pocket. The one of the children earlier that day. Hinata instinctively clutched her pictures tightly as Hiashi tore the pictures in front of the boy. You will not remember any of this, Demon." He walked over to him and pushed chakra into his brain, shutting off the tenketsu of his memory. Before blacking out Naruto screamed in pain._

"_AAAHHH!!! HINA-CHAN!" he fell limp to the ground and whispered, "No… no hurt… Hina… chan…" Unconsciousness took him._

"_Naruto-kun!" Hinata screamed. She made her way to her fallen friend and held him. "Wh-why Father? Why would you hurt him? He-"_

_SLAP!_

_Hinata's cheek ached as she yelped. "DO NOT QUESTION ME HINATA! I AM YOUR FATHER AND YOU WILL DO AS I SAY!" Hiashi yelled, dragging her back to the compound._

_~Kai~_

After that, Hinata didn't ever see Naruto. She did however acquire a crush on the boy. Even falling unconscious, he begged for her not to be hurt. When she met him in the academy, several years had gone by, and true to her father's words, Naruto remembered nothing. And after years of abuse and him berating her, Hinata had become painfully shy, so far that she could barely look at the boy.

And so here she was. In love with a misunderstood boy that her father told her to stay away from, whom also happened to be the container of the Nine Tailed Fox.

On one hand, she could see where her father was coming from. He'd just lost his wife and found his daughter pinned beneath the boy considered the most dangerous in the village. But on the other hand, he didn't know the boy. And now, Hinata was going to do just that. But first, a little confirmation would help.

**xZxZxZxZxZxZxZx**

~The Hokage Tower~

Tsunade sighed. She'd been doing a lot more of this since she became Hokage. "So, this is how it has to be hmm?" she asked looking up at her old teammate. Jiraiya looked down at her and nodded.

"It's for the best." He said seriously. "Naruto just has too many enemies after him and some time away from the village may do him some good."

"Tsk, I know." She sighed again, looking at the young man's file. "It just pains me to see him go after just a short while. He still hasn't had a chance to prove himself."

Naruto Uzumaki (Namikaze)

Registration Number: 012607

Rank: Genin

Age: 13

Height: 4'10"

Weight: 89.3 pounds

Heritage: Minato Namikaze & Kushina Uzumaki –Deceased

Total Missions complete: 10 – 7 D Rank, 1 C Rank, 2 A Rank

Jutsu Known: (Tajuu) Kage Bushin no Jutsu, Kuchiyose no Jutsu, Rasengan

Special Notes: Heir to both Uzumaki and Namikaze Clans. Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi no Kitsune. Fought and defeated apprentice of Zabuza Momochi, Haku. Survived battle with Orochimaru twice. Mastered Rasengan in one month. Can summon the Boss Toad Gamabunta. Defeated Neji Hyuuga in the Chunin Exam Finals. Defeated Sabaku no Garra and Shukaku during the Invasion of Sand and Sound. Fought on par with Sasuke Uchiha.

"He has the worst record out of all the genin. But even after that, he has achievements not even some Jonin have, and still no one respects him." Tsunade said angrily. "Damn villagers. After all he's done for them, not one 'Thank You Naruto' or 'God Job Naruto.' Always Demon Brat and Fox Boy…" The Hokage began to sob lightly as she thought of the boy she looked at as a grandson. Jiraiya put his hand on her shoulder.

"Do not worry Hime. I'll make sure to get him strong enough to become recognized as the hero he is. Just-" There was a knock at the door. Tsunade whispered her thanks, quickly dried her tears and put away the file.

"Come in." she yelled out. The door opened to reveal one Hinata Hyuuga to the room. "Ah, Hinata. A pleasure to see you. You needed to see me about something?"

"Y-yes Hokage-sama… you see I-"

"Please, call me Tsunade. Hokage-sama makes me feel old."

"H-hai, Lady Tsunade. Well, you see… there was… s-something I heard that I… I had to find out if it was really true…" the young heiress said twiddling her fingers, her earlier resolve almost gone.

"Oh? And what might that be?"

"Umm… well… I uh… was wondering…"

"Spit it out already Hinata." The Hokage said, getting slightly annoyed.

"N-Naruto-kun…"

"Yes? What about Naruto?"

"Is… is it true?" She asked looking at Jiraiya, then back to Tsunade. "Is it true that… that he th-the container o-of the Kyuubi?"

Silence. Dead silence.

Hinata grew frightened as the two older ninja before her looked at her in shock before dangerously narrowing their eyes at her.

"Hinata Hyuuga." Tsunade started her tone cold and hard. "Who told you this." It wasn't a question, it was a demand.

Hinata could barely breathe. The stares these two gave her was suffocating the life right out of her. Tears formed in her eyes as she gasped for breath. "I… I was going t-to see N-Na-Naruto…" she spoke shakily, "I h-heard he was… i-in the hospit-tal… when I got there… J-J-Jiraiya-sama was talking to him and—"

"WHAT!?!" Tsunade yelled turning to her teammate. Jiraiya was stunned for a moment before regaining his composure.

"How?" he asked calmly. "I, little girl, am one of the Sannin. I would have recognized your chakra signature if you were just outside the door." He narrowed his eyes on her. "So how did you manage to sneak to the door and listen in on our conversation, hmm?"

"_He… he's right. There's no way I could sneak up on the Sannin, even if I was trying. So why…" _She remembered Zam. _"Did he somehow cloak my presence? I guess it doesn't matter…"_

" _NO! you need to learn to stand up for yourself Hinata! It will be difficult but…"_

She looked up at the old sage in defiance. "Jiraiya-sama, I was running full sprint to the hospital from the other side of the village to see Naruto. When there, I was panting heavily and gasping for air. I was in no shape to mask my chakra. So it is not my fault." The two Sannin were slack-jawed. Hinata Hyuuga, the kind, timid, pacifist ninja, just stood up to Jiraiya of the Sannin… and won.

Hinata decided to continue before she ran out of steam. "Now before you ask where I was before, I went home to put my feelings together. I concluded that Naruto is Naruto and not the Kyuubi. Naruto is no less of a man that what I knew before and the only addition is he's secretly a furry waiting to happen. And judging from your expressions from before, I can guess that I'm right. So I got the confirmation that I desired. Thank you for your time Lady Tsunade, Jiraiya-sama." With that, she turned and walked defiantly out the door.

Inside the office, both Tsunade and Jiraiya had one thought: "What the hell just happened?"

Outside the office, Hinata leaned against the door, panting heavily and clutching her heart through her jacket. _"How… how did I manage to do that? it… it was like I was another person…"_

In the back of her mind, dozens of confident lavender eyes began giggling. Hinata finally calmed down and looked at a nearby clock. It was 5:30, with only a half hour till visiting hours would be over. With that, Hinata dashed off to the hospital. She and Naruto needed to talk.

**xZxZxZxZxZxZxZx**

~Konoha Hospital~

Naruto had just woken up from a extremely nice nap and the best dream he ever had. Naruto had a friend. A young girl was playing with him all day, laughing and smiling with him. He'd never felt as good as he did with that one little girl. However, a few minutes after waking up, reality hit him again.

"No one would want to be my friend…" he said to himself, looking down in defeat. He was startled by a soft voice next to him.

"W-why is that, N-N-Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked. Naruto bolted up in his bed, hissing at the pain in his chest. "Naruto-kun!" Hinata rushed forward to check on her crush, only for him to instinctively pull away from her. "N-Naruto-kun, p-please… let me h-help you."

Naruto looked at her, eyes wide in fear. "No… you know… so you won't help me… you'll kill me." He tried to back up, but there was the wall in his way. So he stayed there, pressed against the wall breathing heavily as he looked at his would-be killer. Then, she started crying.

"W-why… N-Na-Naruto-kun… why won't you trust me?" she asked looking into his deep blue eyes. She got on the bed and slowly moved closer. "I… I want to help you… I… I want to be your friend Naruto-kun. Please don't p-push me away!" she latched onto him lightly, crying into the good side of his chest.

Naruto sat there stunned. He didn't understand, she knew he was the fox, but here she was crying for him? Hurt because he thought she was going to kill him? He looked down at the young heiress, only seeing the raven blue hair, while feeling the tears pour into his chest. He was reminded of his dream. A very young girl with raven blue hair was crying into him as he hugged her.

"Hi-Hinata…chan…" he relaxed and wrapped his arms around the small girl, burying his head in her hair. "Arigato…" he sobbed.

It took all of her strength of will not to faint at that moment. _"Chan! He called me Hinata-chan again! And he's hugging me! Oh Naruto-kun…" _she steeled her resolve when she felt his tears on her hair. He _needed_ her. After the two shifted into a more comfortable position, Naruto noticed something fall from Hinata's person.

"What's that Hinata-chan?" he asked going for the upside down photo. However, Hinata got to it first.

"It… Um… it's uhh… a-a picture…" she said nervously.

"Of who?"

She was shaking like a leaf, wondering what he'd think. "It's me… and… and… here!" she thrust the picture into his chest lightly, causing him to yelp lightly, and her to fuss for a bit.

"It's ok Hinata-chan. I just…" his eyes widened as he looked at the photo. Two children. One was said to be Hinata. She stood in the middle of the photo with a small smile on her face as well as a light blush. It looked like she was pushing her fingers together when the picture was taken. She was sitting in the second person's lap. The second person had his arms wrapped around her and his head resting on her perfect raven blue hair, a large grin stretching out the three whisker marks on his cheeks; his sun kissed blond hair messy to contrast the neat Hyuuga. The boy was himself.

"Hi-Hinata…chan…" he started shakily. "Wh-what is this?"

"W-well, Naruto-kun… when we were five… we were… friends for a week… M-My mother had just died… and I ran off. you found be being bullied by a few older boys… who tore… tore up my family picture… you fixed it for me… we took that picture at the end of that week… we each had one…" she looked down sadly for the last part of her story. "Then… then my f-f-father came… he beat you… destroyed your picture… and… and…" now she was in tears. "He took your memory away for that week… he made you forget about me… Naruto-kun… I'm sorry…"

Naruto started to take all of her story in. _"I had a friend? All these years I had a friend, and I didn't even know it… Hinata-chan…"_ he looked at the photo again and smiled. But a thought crept into his mind, turning his smile into a sad frown. "W-why didn't you come back later?"

Hinata turned her head up. "T-That's why I was a-apologizing… Father made sure I was always watched, and to beat you if you ever came within sight of me… so I kept away… for your safety…" Naruto looked in awe at her, but there was still more. "When we got to the academy, I was so shy… I-I couldn't even look at you… I would think… 'What would he think of me…?' or I just doubted myself… I… I'm sorry I didn't come to you sooner… Naruto-kun…"

Naruto looked at her, then the picture again, and smiled shaking his head. "No Hinata-chan. I'M sorry. Sorry for never noticing you like others did to me." He looked away for a bit, then nervously, "C-can we be friends again?"

It wasn't _exactly_ what she wanted, but it was a start. "Yes Naruto-kun. I would like that very much." She stated happily. Inside however… _"YESYESYES! WE'RE FRIENDS AGAIN!I HAVE MY NARUTO-KUN AGAIN!" _ all of the day's events came crashing down on her now. "Naruto-kun… I'm kinda tired… ummm… could I sleep at your bedside?"

"Yeah… go ahead Hinata-chan. We'll talk more tomorrow." He said quietly. She nodded and slipped back into the chair, resting her head on his bed. A few moments later, she was sound asleep.

Naruto stared at her sleeping form, still holding the picture. A few moments later, Tsunade came in to check on Naruto. "So," she asked, "What happened?"

Naruto looked from her to Hinata and smiled a true smile. "I got my best friend back."

"Sasuke?"

He shook his head. "No… Hinata." He absentmindedly began to stoke he hair.

"Well, good for you Naruto." She said smiling. "Kami knows you've needed a break for a long time." Still smiling she left the room, telling the nurses that Naruto would have company that night.

Back in the room, Naruto had settled down to sleep and looked back at Hinata. "We'll have to get another picture together Hinata…" Naruto, so tired, didn't think about anything he was doing. He knelt down and kissed her on the top of her head before whispering into his sleep, "Thank you… Hina-chan…" and sleep took him.

At the door, a pair of lecherous eyes that knew he was in trouble saw a chance to embarrass his new apprentice and his possible girlfriend. He giggled perversely and went to work.

**xZxZxZxZxZxZxZx**

~The next Morning~

Ino Yamanaka was standing in front of the Haruno household. She had to talk to Sakura about a few things. Naruto being one. Sasuke the other. The thing that confused her was the order she put them in. Naruto _then_ Sasuke? She had to find answers and this was the only way how. With that she knocked.

At the same time, three screams went off through the village. Two were of embarrassment, the other was of extreme pain.

**xZxZxZxZxZxZxZx**

**A/N: So there's Chapter 2. I must say, I'm not thrilled about the lack of hits and reviews, but I understand. Thursday night is not an ideal time to update. Well, anyway, hope you enjoyed the chapter and I'll be back again within the next two weeks.**

**Translations: **_Mou-_** furasshubakku**_ no jutsu- Mou=again, _**furasshubakku**_ no jutsu=Flashback Technique_

**UPDATE: Still I suck. There's a few fixes in this chapter. So I'll be back… 'Two Weeks' my ass…**


End file.
